Don't Make Grandma Worry About You from Heaven

When he had first transmigrated here, all he could think about was how to activate the Ten-Tails, how to grow stronger, and how to survive in this dangerous world.

Becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki had been the most important step in his plan. He had even thought that it would have been better if Grandma Mito had passed the Nine-Tails on to him sooner.

But now, those thoughts had long been worn away by three years of everyday life.

When he practiced Sealing Jutsu late into the night, Grandma Mito would bring him a cup of hot tea and say, "Little Mirai, don't push yourself too hard. Your health comes first."

When he and Kushina bickered, she would sit nearby and laugh, then secretly put an extra piece of meat into Kushina's bowl.

On rainy afternoons, she would call him beneath the covered walkway and teach him to recognize the obscure runes on those ancient scrolls, her voice as gentle as a spring breeze.

Those scenes flickered through his mind one by one, finally freezing on the image of Grandma Mito standing at the door that morning, watching them leave.

Back then, he had smiled and said, "Grandma, we're leaving," and Mito had smiled and waved back.

That smile had looked exactly the same as always, but looking back now, it held a farewell he had failed to notice.

At the time, it had seemed perfectly ordinary.

"...I want to go back and see Grandma Mito."

Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded. "You should. Go."

After leaving the Hokage's Office, Mirai walked much faster than usual.

Yet one sentence kept circling through his mind—"Get it handled before the end of the month."

When the gates of the Senju Clan Compound came into view, he slowed instead.

He pushed open the courtyard gate. The main house was silent, devoid of its usual liveliness.

Nawaki had probably been sent elsewhere, and Kushina was still at school. Only the rustle of wind stirring the leaves remained in the courtyard.

Tsunade sat beneath the covered walkway, leaning against a pillar. Her gaze rested vaguely on an old tree in the courtyard, and no one knew what she was thinking.

Mito sat in a chair inside the main house, a thin blanket covering her legs.

She really had grown much thinner.

Though she had been old three years ago, her cheeks had still been full. Now her cheekbones protruded, and her wrists were so thin that the shape of her bones showed through.

There were far more age spots on her skin than before. Curled up in that chair, she looked like a lamp about to burn out.

Yet the moment she saw Mirai enter, her eyes still lit up.

"Little Mirai, you're back?" She smiled and beckoned to him. "School ended so early today?"

"Grandma, the afternoon classes were boring, so I skipped them." Mirai walked over and sat on a low stool beside her, his voice as casual as ever.

"You brat, no matter how boring school is, you can't skip class! You're still young. Don't get arrogant and complacent!"

"It's fine, Grandma. Don't worry. I'll make up the lessons."

"That's good. Come, Little Mirai, try this. Grandma made tempura."

Mirai Uzumaki accepted the tempura from the old woman and put it into his mouth.

He could not taste it at all, yet he still smiled. "Delicious! Thank you, Grandma."

"Good boy. As long as you like it."

Tsunade stood to one side, staring at them in a daze.

Mirai kept Mito company for a long time, talking only about ordinary things—

Interesting things that had happened at school that day, how Kushina had refused to get out of bed again that morning, and which ramen shop in the village had recently introduced a new flavor.

Mito listened with great attention, smiling from time to time and occasionally adding a few words.

Tsunade came over and sat with them as well. The three of them chatted on and off, just like on countless ordinary afternoons.

But Mirai's eyes never left Mito's face.

He saw the deathly stillness in those once gentle, bright eyes growing heavier by the day. He saw her sometimes pause while speaking, as though she had to gather a breath before she could continue.

But he said nothing.

So this was what it felt like to lose family.

At first, he had thought it would be a violent storm, ending after an intense burst of pain.

But in truth, it was an endless, silent drizzle that seeped into everything—cold and damp, chilling him to the bone, yet impossible to escape.

Kushina returned that afternoon.

Mirai did not hide it from her.

In the courtyard, he took Kushina's hand and simply told her what the Hokage had said.

Kushina stood stunned for a long while.

Then she let go of Mirai's hand, rushed into the main house, and threw herself before Mito's knees. Tears immediately streamed down her face.

"Grandma... please don't go..."

Mito froze for a moment, then sighed softly. She reached out and stroked Kushina's red hair, her voice as gentle as the wind in spring:

"Silly child, after Grandma is gone, the Nine-Tails will stay and keep you company."

"I don't want the Nine-Tails! I want Grandma!"

Mito smiled but said nothing more.

She only patted Kushina's back softly, again and again, as though soothing a baby still learning to walk.

Mirai stood outside the door, leaning against the frame as he watched, his fists clenched tight.

His nails dug into his palms, and the sting barely helped him maintain the calm expression on his face.

At last, the end of the month arrived.

Deep in Konoha's back mountains, countless layers of barriers had been set up.

Mountains surrounded the area on all sides, and it lay some distance from the village. Even if the Nine-Tails went out of control, casualties could be minimized to the greatest extent. It had been chosen as the site for transferring the Nine-Tails' seal.

The ground was covered in complex Sealing Jutsu formulas, while the talisman pillars at the four corners were wrapped in dense layers of incantations.

Many ninja proficient in Sealing Jutsu were stationed there as well, ensuring that nothing went wrong.

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood at the edge of the barrier, his expression solemn.

Anbu members were stationed at elevated points all around, each maintaining a vigilant stance.

The Barrier Team guarded their respective nodes, their hands held in seals as chakra slowly flowed into the jutsu formula on the ground.

Everything was ready.

Tsunade supported Mito as she walked in.

Mito wore a white kimono, one that had been her favorite in her youth.

Meanwhile, Mirai Uzumaki lay at the center of the barrier, waiting to take on the duty Grandma Mito carried.

"Mirai." Mito walked up to him and looked up at him. He had grown quite a bit taller over the past three years. "Are you afraid?"

"...A little."

Mito smiled and reached out to ruffle his hair. "The Nine-Tails is a natural disaster, an omen of misfortune. It truly is something to fear!

"But it is also a living being, and it has feelings. If you have the chance in the future, try to communicate with it more. If you can form a bond with it, that would be even better."

"Grandma made the wrong choice at the beginning. I thought that relying on power to suppress the Nine-Tails would be enough, but that was actually the greatest waste of the Nine-Tails' power."

Mito Uzumaki seemed to want to continue, then smiled again. "Forget it. Telling you all this now seems rather pointless."

"Remember Grandma's words. Communicate with the Nine-Tails as much as you can!"

"Okay!" Mirai Uzumaki nodded heavily.

Her hand rested atop his head, warm yet withered.

"One last thing. Promise Grandma something," she said softly. "Live well! Keep the Nine-Tails under control, keep Kushina under control, and keep yourself under control too.

"Remember to eat on time and attend class on time. Even after becoming a ninja, you must not be careless. When facing danger, you must remain steady and calm.

"You must protect yourself, and protect Kushina too. Don't make Grandma worry about you from heaven..."

Mirai's eyes suddenly burned.

He gritted his teeth and nodded hard.